But it won’t be plain sailing to get planning permission, as this paragraph explains.

Worries have already been voiced by local residents. A petition launched four months ago argues that the building will block sunlight, create light pollution and increase traffic in the area. Others have opposed MSG, whose executive chair, James Dolan, has donated funds to Donald Trump, and was on the board of the Weinstein Company from 2015-16. Beverley Whitrick, strategic director of the Music Venue Trust, has argued< that some audiences would feel uncomfortable in a venue from a Trump backer.

Protestors also believe the site should be used for housing, as Newham has over 25,000 households on the housing waiting list.

This Google Map shows the site.

Note.

The site was used as a coach park during the 2912 Olympics.

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link runs across the Northern edge of the site.

The Great Eastern Main Line runs along the South-Eastern edge of the site.

As the sphere will be five hundred feet across, it must almost fill the site.

Crossrail’s operator is seeking to block plans for a “second O2” in London, over concerns flashing lights from the proposed entertainment venue could cause crashes, with trains travelling at up to 80mph.

Most of the trains today, seemed to have been formed of two four-car Class 317 trains, although there was at least one train working as a four-car train.

I made two visits to the route today and it seemed to be performing reliably.

One train was cancelled due to a shortage of crew.

These are some pictures, I took throughout the day.

A few thoughts on what I saw and deduced.

The Timetable Works

The timetable seems to have worked well today and the driver who described the timetable as a Z, didn’t say it was crazy or ridiculous.

Passengers didn’t seem to be running around like headless chickens, so they were probably getting the hang of it.

Greater Anglia and Network Rail should be very pleased.

The Stations Have Long Platforms

The stations on the route; Stratford, Lea Bridge, Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water, all seem to have long platforms, which can certainly accommodate eight-car trains, which are 160 metres long.

The four tph between Stratford and Meridian Water, that was promised in the STAR project, could be arranged by stopping both trains at Lea Bridge, Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water in both directions.

The only extra stops at Northumberland Park and Meridian Water would be as follows.

In August 2019, it was announced that funding had been approved for construction of a fourth platform and a new section of track between Tottenham Hale and Meridian Water to enable up to 8 trains per hour to serve the station at peak times.

This must be the earliest upgrade in history, after a new station has opened.

In the related report, I came to the conclusion, that the fourth track would.

Leave the Southbound West Anglia Main Line, just to the North of Meridian Water station.

Go through the new Platform 1 at the station.

Continue through Northumberland Park station.

Join the new third track, between Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hale.

This would allow Stratford and Liverpool Street trains to take separate routes to their respective terminals.

In the Meridian Water Station To Be Upgraded post, I said this.

Eight trains per hour (tph) in both directions calling at the station could be as follows.

Platform 1 – Two tph from Bishops Stortford to Stratford

Platform 2 – Two tph Meridian Water to Stratford

Platform 3 – Two tph from Hertford East to Liverpool Street

Platform 3 – One tph from Cambridge to Liverpool Street

Platform 3 – One tph from Cambridge North to Liverpool Street

Platform 4 – Two tph from Stratford to Bishops Stortford

Platform 4 – Two tph from Liverpool Street to Hertford East

Platform 4 – One tph from Liverpool Street to Cambridge

Platform 4 – One tph from Liverpool Street to Cambridge North

Four tph go to and from each of Stratford and Liverpool Street.

At Tottenham Hale, platforms would be as follows.

Platform 2 – Southbound Services to Stratford and two tph to Meridian Water.

Platform 3 – Southbound Services to Liverpool Street

Platform 4 – Northbound services going further than Meridian Water.

I am assuming that the missing Platform 1 and the fourth track through Tottenham Hale station will not be built in the short term, as doing this, would blow the available budget.

Conclusion

The shuttle is working and it will get better, with the addition of a fourth track between Meridian Water and Tottenham Hale.

In August 2019, it was announced that funding had been approved for construction of a fourth platform and a new section of track between Tottenham Hale and Meridian Water to enable up to 8 trains per hour to serve the station at peak times.

This must be the earliest upgrade in history, after a new station has opened.

I have searched the Internet and can’t find anything more about the loose statement, I quoted above.

Space has been left for the fourth platform, which will be numbered 1, on the East side of the station, as this picture taken from the island platform 2/3 shows.

Will platform 1 be a terninal platform or will it be a through platform.

A through platform connected to a loop around the island platform would allow Southbound trains to split to the North of the station.

Trains for Liverpool Street would call in Platform 3 and continue as now to Liverpool Street.

Stopping trains for Stratford would call in Platform 1 and take the proposed extra track to Tottenham Hale.

Express trains for Stratford could call in Platform 3 and continue as now to Stratford.

Platform 2 would still be a bay platform to handle shuttle trains from Stratford.

Eight trains per hour (tph) in both directions calling at the station could be as follows.

Platform 1 – Two tph from Bishops Stortford to Stratford

Platform 2 – Two tph Meridian Water to Stratford

Platform 3 – Two tph from Hertford East to Liverpool Street

Platform 3 – One tph from Cambridge to Liverpool Street

Platform 3 – One tph from Cambridge North to Liverpool Street

Platform 4 – Two tph from Stratford to Bishops Stortford

Platform 4 – Two tph from Liverpool Street to Hertford East

Platform 4 – One tph from Liverpool Street to Cambridge

Platform 4 – One tph from Liverpool Street to Cambridge North

Four tph go to and from each of Stratford and Liverpool Street.

The Extra Track

As I said earlier, the extra track could be a loop through the station with the following layout.

Start to the North of Meridian Water station, around the area of the former Angel Road station.

Go through Platform 1 at Meridian Water station.

Continue South to the East of the other three tracks.

Go through Northumberland Park station, where provision has been made to add a new Platform 1.

Continue South.

It would probably then join with the new Northbound track and go into Platform 2 at Tottenham Hale station.

Continue South on the recently-built third track to Lea Bridge and Stratford stations.

The operation of the route looks complicated with the number of tracks as follows.

Between Stratford and Lea Bridge Junction via Lea Bridge station – Two tracks

Between Lea Bridge Junction and Tottenham Hale station – One track – Bi-directional

Between Tottenham Hale and Meridian Water via Northumberland Park station – Two tracks

This would enable a four tph service between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.

Would It Not Be Better To Extend The Fourth Track To Lea Bridge Junction?

Possibly!

But by only having a single extra bi-directional track South of Tottenham Hale, they can achieve the required service without replacing the Ferry Lane Bridge and possibly with a simpler track layout at Lea Bridge Junction.

How Would And Stratford and Stansted Airport Services Fit In?

What I think the eight tph service could be, means that on the third track between Tottenham Hale and Lea Bridge stations, there are four Southbound and two Northbound trains in every hour. This can probably be handled by bi-directional running on the single track section.

But other arrangements would probably have to be made to squeeze some more services into the section between Tottenham Hale and Lea Bridge stations.

Perhaps digital signalling would allow Stansted trains to use the main route and only stopping trains would use the new third track. This could probably mean that Stratford had the following services along the West Anglia Main Line.

2tph – Shuttle to Meridian Water

2 tph – Semi-fast to Bishops Stortford

2 tph – Stansted Express

Would some or all of the train use the High Meads Loop to turn round, as some Stansted services to Stratford have done in the past?

Will A Stratford And Stansted Service Be An Extension Of The Norwich and Stansted Service?

This would be possible and Greater Anglia have enough Class 755 trains to run it.

It would add a fourth service in each hour between London and Norwich.

It would add a direct service between Cambridge and Stratford.

If run at a frequency of 2 tph it would greatly improve connectivity up the West Anglia Main Line to Cambridge and Stansted Airport

Passenger numbers will decide what happens.

Train timings are interesting.

With the current Class 170 trains, I suspect that they could run between Norwich and Stansted in just under two hours, to make a round trip in four hours possible but tight. So can the bi-mode Class 755 trains using electricity South of Ely easily achieve the very convenient four hour round trip?

The bay platform at Cambridge would be released for other services.

Just four trains would be needed for an hourly service.

Between Stansted and Stratford a limited stop Express would be comfortably under the hour, especially if the High Meads Loop were to be used.

Stansted and Stratford would need four trains to run a two tph service,which would probably be Class 720 trains.

Norwich and Stratford via Stansted would need six trains for an hourly service and twelve for two tph.

The numbers of extra trains required for a joined-up two tph service between Norwich and Stratford, probably make it unlikely.

I think the service will be as follow.

Hourly Norwich and Stansted using Class 755 trains.

2tph Stansted and Stratford using Class 720 trains.

But if the Norwich and Stansted via Cambridge service is as successful, as I think it will be, the passenger numbers might prompt Greater Anglia to add a second train on every hour.

The only problem would be if the new services generated a lot of journeys between Cambridge and Stratford and Greater Anglia felt there should be at least an hourly service.

Will Stansted Services Stop At Meridian Water?

Why not!

It is going to be a community of ten thousand houses.

Businesses in the are will increase and could be attracted by an Airport service.

A seven day a week, half-hour service from 6am to 11pm is timetabled to start on 9 September 2019 to Stratford calling at Northumberland Park, Tottenham Hale and Lea Bridge which will start and terminate at Meridian Water from Platform two.

If you type this date and time into the on-line National Rail timetable, you get these trains.

06:22

07:08 and )7:38

08:08 and )8:38

The trains then seem to follow the eight minutes past the half hour pattern until 23:08

Each journey has the same characteristics.

They leave from Platform 2 at Meridian Water

They arrive in Platform 11 at Stratford fifteen minutes later at XX:23 and XX:53

Times at Northumberland Park are XX:10 and XX:40.

Times at Tottenham Hale are XX:13 and XX:43

Times at Lea Bridge are XX:16 and XX:46

Return journeys have the following characteristics

They leave from Platform 11 at Stratford at XX:17 and XX:47

They arrive in Platform 2 at Meridian Water fifteen minutes later at XX:32 and XX:02

Times at Lea Bridge are XX:23 and XX:53

Times at Tottenham Hale are XX:26 and 56

Times at Northumberland Park are XX:29 and XX:59

The timetable to provide the two trains per hour (tph) service looks to have been put together in a very simple way.

Two trains are used.

Train One works the XX:08 from Meridian Water and the XX:47 train from Stratford

Train Two works the XX:38 from Meridian Water and the XX:17 train from Stratford

Trains have six minutes to turn round at Meridian Water.

Trains have twenty-four minutes to turn round at Stratford.

Only one train is North of Lea Bridge at any one time and they are on the new third track.

The two trains will pass between Stratford and Lea Bridge stations, where they will be on separate tracks.

There is one complication; the two tph service between Stratford and Bishops Stortford is still running and the timetable, says it will be using Platform 11 at Stratford.

But as the Meridian Water shuttle train will wait for twenty-four minutes at Stratford, could the Bishops Stortford train share the same platform?

Or will the signallers use Platform 12 as an overflow, when they need?

There must be a sound, safe and reliable plan, otherwise they wouldn’t run the trains.

Enfield Council has been promised four tph between Meridian Water and Stratford stations.

Sharing Platform 11 between the Meridian Water shuttle and the Bishops Stortford service might just fulfil Enfield’s needs.

If the Southbound Bishops Stortford to Stratford service stopped at Meridian Water, if would stop in Platform 3, which shares an island with Platform 2, which will be used by the shuttle.

The Southbound Bishops Stortford to Stratford service would probably stop at Meridian Water at XX:22 and XX:52, which would be conveniently between the shuttle services.

Northbound Stratford to Bishops Stortford services would leave conveniently at XX:00 and XX:30 from the samr platform as the shuttle.

But I feel that this is very much an interim service until Greater Anglia have worked out what is possible with real trains and passengers and their new Class 720 trains have been delivered.

Currently, most rail services radiate from Cambridge station, but like London and other cities are proving, Cambridge needs Cross-City services.

A high-frequency North-South route is being created across the City.

To the North of the City is Ely station.

North of Ely station, lines fan out to Peterborough, Kings Lynn and Norwich.

From North to South across the City, there will be Waterbeach, Cambridge North, Cambridge and Cambridge South stations.

South of Cambridge South station, lines will fan out to Bedford and Oxford, Royston, Hitchin and Kings Cross and Audley End, Stansted Airport and Livepool Street.

In addition routes to Bury St. Edmunds, Ipswich and Felixstowe reach out to the East.

The current North-South train services include.

1 tph – Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport

1 tph – Kings Lynn and Kings Cross

1 tph – Cambridge and Norwich

2 tph – Cambridge and Brighton

2 tph – Cambridge and Liverpool Street

2 tph – Cambridge and Kings Cross

The number of these services will grow.

Will More Stations Be Built Or Reopened Between Stansted Airport And Norwich?

I know the route, South of Cambridge better than I know it to the North.

To the South of Cambridge, the current stations could be sufficient, with improved car and bicycle parking and provision for electric cars.

To the North, there appear to be new housing developments under consideration and surely, these will need good public transport to and from Cambridge.

Does The Norwich and Stansted Airport Service Need Two Trains Per Hour?

I have a feeling that Greater Anglia think, that East Anglia’s generally one tph services between major towns and cities is not enough.

Greater Anglia have said they will do the following.

Increase the Ipswich and Norwich frequency from two to three tph.

Run two tph between Ipswich and Kennett via Bury St. Edmunds.

I talked previously about Cambridge and its herd of wannabe unicorns.

I believe strongly, that the Cambridge Effect will in a couple of years, mean that the frequency between Norwich and Stansted Airport will need to be doubled.

But will Greater Anglia have enough trains?

Greater Anglia are purchasing a fleet of 38 Class 755 trains with a total of 138 carriages to replace 27 assorted trains with a total of 58 carriages.

This is a forty percent increase in the number of trains.

This is nearly two and a half times as many carriages.

The average number of carriages per train is raised from 2.1 to 3.6.

That is a massive increase in train capacity.

There should be enough for either.

Eight trains for two tph between Norwich and Stansted Airport.

Twelve trains for two tph between Norwich and London via Stansted Airport.

These would be increases of four and eight trains respectively on Greater Anglia’s current plan for a one tph service between Norwich and Stansted Airport.

Conclusion

Greater Anglia have enough trains to run a two tph service between Norwich and London via Stansted Airport.

I believe that the Cambridge Effect will create enough demand to necessitate expansion of the proposed one tph service between Norwich and Stansted Airport into a Norwich and London via Stansted Airport service.

Frequency will be two tph.

New commuter-friendly stations could be built.

The Southern terminal could be Stratford to give a second route to Stansted Airport from London.

The cladding is going on the building above the Victoria Line ticket hall.

It appears to be fireproof glass on a concrete and steel frame.

A Wide Island Platform

Platforms 2 and 3 form a wide island platform.

Only Platform 3 appears to be in use for London-bound services to both Liverpool Street and Stratford.

Both faces appear long enough for a 240 metre long Stansted Express train.

There is a step-free bridge at the half-way point of the platform.

The original bridge with its escalator is still in place.

It is a design with good potential for handling more services.

Platform 3 could handle all services to Liverpool Street station.

Platform 2 could handle all services to Stratford station.

Travellers would just walk across the island platform.

The Step-Free Bridge Appears Almost Complete

The bridge appears to be almost complete.

The bridge has lifts and stairs with double handrails on both sides.

The lift and stairs on the London-bound side are in the middle of the island platform 2 & 3.

There is an escalator for London-bound travellers to access the bridge, to give an easy route to the Victoria Line.

There appears to be just a bit of testing before full commissioning.

The Old Bridge Is Still In Place

It still has its up escalator from Platform 2 & 3 and there have been statements that this bridge will be modified to create a link between the Underground station and the developments on the other side of the tracks.

Most Of The Bus And Taxi Interchange Is Complete

With buses and black taxis, the interchange seems finished.

Much of North and East London can get a bus to and from the station.

Today, I got a 76 bus to Dalston for a two hundred metre walk.

But with a heavy case, I’d get a black cab,

Transport planners usual only plan for travellers to and from the City centre.

The Future

The Stratford And Meridian Water Shuttle

This is rumoured to start in September and will probably be the following.

Two trains per hour (tph) between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.

Stops will be at Lea Bridge, Tottenham Hale and Northumberland Park stations.

Trains could be any length up to probably 240 metres, as all platforms are long.

Current trains take sixteen minutes between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.

In addition services between Stratford and Hertford East and Bishops Stortford stations would stop at Meridian Water, to give the station a four tph service to and from Stratford.

The new Meridian Water station has been built with a dedicated bay platform for the shuttle service.

The bay Platform 2 is on the right and the through Platform 3 is on the left in this picture taken looking North at Meridian Water station.

Two tph to Stratford would leave from each side of this platform.

The new track between Meridian Water and Lea Bridge stations has been built without a passing loop, so the two tph shuttle must probably be run by a single train.

The shuttle would.

Have exclusive use of the new track between Lea Bridge and Meridian Water stations.

Have shared use of the existing track between Lea Bridge and Stratford stations.

Call at Platform 2 at Tottenhale and Northumberlan Park station in both directions.

A two tph shuttle would consist of the following.

Four journeys between Stratford and Meridian Water stations.

Twenty-four intermediate station stops.

Two turnrounds each at Meridian Water and Stratford stations.

Current turnrounds at Stratford have in excess of twenty minutes to unload and load passengers and for the driver to change ends.

Greater Anglia will be running the shuttle in September with nearly nearly forty-year-old British Rail-built Class 317 trains.

As there is not enough time to fit the trains with wings and jet engines, what the hell will be happening?

Go to Stratford station and there is an out-of-date sign at the end of Platform 1 and 2, where the Overground trains terminate.

It directs passengers to Platform 12 for Stansted Airport.

It dates from the time, when Stansted Express trains used to go to Stratford station.

They didn’t turnround in Platform 12, but used the High Meads Loop underneath the Eastfield Shopping Centre to reverse direction.

The train stopped in Platform 12 long enough for passenger to leave and join the train.

The driver stayed in the same cab and carried on driving.

I suspect that a Class 317 train could go from Platform 1 at Lea Bridge station, round the High Meads Loop and back to Platform 2 at Lea Bridge station, in these split times.

Lea Bridge to Stratford – 6 minutes.

Stop in Platform 12 at Stratford – 1 minute

Straford to Lea Bridge – 6 minutes.

I believe all these times can be achieved by well-driven Class 317 trains, which gives a timing of thirteen minutes.

Currently, Lea Bridge to Meridian Water takes nine minutes in the elderly Class 317 trains, sharing the track with other trains.

But the shuttle trains will have a clear track, once they are on the new track North of Lea Bridge station.

I believe they could do this in perhaps seven minutes.

Applying, the sort of maths a bright nine-year-old should be able to master.

60 – 2*13 – 4*7 = 6

So could you turn a train round at Meridian Water station in three minutes?

London Overground regularly do this at Dalston Junction station.

Stepping-up might be needed, where a second driver immediately gets into the rear cab and takes over the train.

But it all leads me to the conclusion, that a single Class 317 train can run a two tph shuttle between Meridian Water and Stratford stations.

The following conditions would apply.

The trains must use the High Meads Loop.

There would be a fast stop in Stratford, taking less than a minute.

Stratford to Lea Bridge times should be six minutes or less.

Meridian Water to Lea Bridge times should be seven minutes or less.

Stepping-up might need to be employed at Meridian Water.

Trains could be up to 240 metres long.

The trains would have to be well-driven.

There is also the fall-back position, that the new Class 720 trains to be delivered later in the year will have increased performance.

Development Of The High Meads Loop

The High Meads Loop is an almost unique piece of railway infrastructure on the UK rail network.

The simpler Wirral Line Loop under Liverpool turns upwards of twelve tph back for the Wirral Line.

The Wirral Line also has four stations on the loop.

I believe the High Meads Loop could easily handle a similar frequency to the Wirral Line Loop.

The High Meads Loop is also double-track.

I believe, that currently, the High Meads Loop is only planned to only handle the following services.

Two tph – Meridian Water Shuttle

Two tph – West Anglia Main Line services.

There is a lot more capacity to handle services from the West Anglia Main Line or its branches.

Liverpool Street And Meridian Water Services

When the Field Day Festival took place a couple of weeks ago, Greater Anglia stopped several services, including some Stansted Express services at Meridian Water station to bring festival-goers back to Central London.

Currently, the following Liverpool Street services pass through Meridian Water station.

Two tph – Liverpool Street and Hertford East

Two tph – Liverpool Street and Cambridge

Four tph – Stansted Express

As Greater Anglia’s new fleet of trains, will all be optimised for fast stops, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Greater Anglia services to and from Liverpool Street station doing the following.

Northbound services would stop in Platform 4 at Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water stations.

Southbound services would stop in Platform 3 at Tottenham Hale, Northumberland Park and Meridian Water stations.

If Northumberland Park and Median Water stations deserve four tph to and from Stratford, surely they deserve the same frequency to and from Liverpool Street. Could both Cambridge and Hertford East services stop at Northumberland Park and Meridian Water station?

Both Northumberland Park and Meridian Water stations could get direct services to and from Liverpool Street station.

The island platforms at all three stations could give some useful cross-platform interchanges.

Stations North of Tottenham Hale would get these frequencies to and from the station and the Victoria Line.

Eight tph – Northumberland Park

Eight tph – Meridian Water

Two tph – Ponders End

Two tph – Brimsdown

Four tph – Enfield Lock

Three tph – Waltham Cross

Six tph – Cheshunt

Six tph – Broxbourne

Note.

With a few extra stops by Stratford services, all stations between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne could get at least a very customer-friendly four tph.

If your station didn’t have a Stratford service, there would be a cross- or same-platform interchange going at Tottenham Hale station.

Using Stratford and Crossrail may be preferable on some journeys than Tottenham Hale sand the Victoria Line.

In this hot weather give me an air-conditioned Aventra over a furnace on the Victoria Line any time.

A Lea Valley Metro could be emerging.

Stansted Express And Meridian Water

Consider.

Various arguments and statistics could be used to decide whether Stansted Express trains stopped at Meridian Water station.

I suspect too, that if Spurs continue to play in Europe, that a strong case can be made for stopping Stansted Expresses at Northumberland Park station.

But the performance of the trains on the West Anglia Main Line will enable Greater Anglia to do what’s best for passengers and profits.

As Greater Anglia did a couple of weeks ago with the Field Day Festival, they can even be selective.

Stansted Express And Stratford

The Stansted Express is currently a four tph service between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.

Consider.

In the past, Stansted Expresses ran to and from Stratford.

As they did in the past, they could terminate in the High Meads Loop at Stratford.

Big International events are held at Stratford.

The Central Line links Stratford and Liverpool Street.

Crossrail will link Stratford and Liverpool Street at a frequency of twelve tph.

Stratford and Tottenham Hale will soon be linked at a frequency of four tph.

Extra trains could be needed to run Stansted Expresses to and from Stratford.

I think that running a Stansted |Express to and from Stratford that will remain under review and could be implemented at some date in the future.

The High Meads Loop would also be available to turn extra local services.

One possibility is to reinstate the Hall Farm Curve and run services between Chingford and Stratford.

The level crossing at Highams Park station is a problem, but in Improving The Chingford Branch Line, I outlined how it could be possible to run four tph between Chingford and Stratford stations, using clever timetabling, digital signalling and good driver aids.

Another possibility is to terminate some London Overground services from Cheshunt and Enfield Town at Stratford, instead of Liverpool Street.

Services could be .

Two tph between Enfield Town and Liverpool Street

Two tph between Cheshunt and Liverpool Street

Two tph between Enfield Town and Stratford.

Two tph between Cheshunt and Stratford.

This would mean.

London Overground’s preferred frequency of four tph to Enfield Town and Cheshunt.

All stations between Edmonton Green and Seven Sisters, including White Hart Lane, would get an eight tph service to London and Crossrail.

Four tph in both directions would call at South Tottenham station to give a same platform interchange with the Gospel Oak to Barking Line..

Most of the infrastructure is already in place, although improvements might be needed to the Seven Sisters Chord, that links Seven Sisters station to the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.

Summing up, I believe we could see the following services using the High Meads Loop.

Two tph to and from Meridian Water

Two tph to and from Bishops Stortford via Meridian Water

Two tph to and from Norwich via Stansted

Four tph to and from Chingford via the Hall Farm Curve.

Two tph to and from Enfield Town via South Tottenham and Seven Sisters

Two tph to and from Cheshunt via South Tottenham and Seven Sisters

That is an easy-to-handle fourteen tph.

This map from carto.metro.free.fr, shows the lines connecting the North London Line and the High Meads Loop to platforms 1m 2, 11 and 12 at Stratford station.

Given that freight trains pass through the area to get between the North London Line and the Great Eastern Main Line, there may need to be some track reorganisation to make full use of the High Meads Loop.

Digital signalling would also help, as it would all over the London Overground network.

I think it would not be unreasonable to expect that in some point in the future twenty tph could be running around the High Meads Loop.

A new rail terminus for London would have been created with the ability to handle more trains than either Cannon Street, Fenchurch Street or Marylebone. stations.

Could we see all West Anglia Main Line services terminate in the High Meads Loop?

Probably not, as the platform wouldn’t be able to cope with all the passengers.

Crossrail 2

If Crossrail 2 is ever built, it will terminate at Broxbourne on the West Anglia Main Line.

It will need four-tracking of the West Anglia Main Line between Tottenham Hale and Broxbourne stations, which will create massive disruption for passengers and residents.

Conclusion

There is a lot of development, that is possible on the West Anglia Main Line to make it into a world-class commuter route and a main line route with good services to Stansted Airport, Cambridge and Norwich.

Cambridge is a big growth point in the UK economy and dveloping the West Anglia Main Line will only improve the economy of the area.

The new entrance will give those coming from the Carpenters Estate direct access to Stratford station.

This Google Map shows the South East section of the station.

The main station building has the two station symbols on the top and the Jubilee Line platforms run Southwards from the building.

It would appear that the new entrance will be close to the Southernmost corner of the station building in a staff car park.

Knowing the station well, I suspect it will be a very useful new entrance for both residents and visitors to the Olympic Park.

It will make it easier to avoid the clutches of Eastfield.

The only details on the cost of the scheme is this sentence from Ian’s article.

Newham council has agreed to contribute £1 million to the scheme, which is being funded from its Community Infrastructure Levy.

As it incorporates some extra lifts in the station, the scheme is probably going to be more than a million pound one, but the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) is involved, I suspect that everything is securely funded.

Should There Be Other Small Schemes Like This?

At Shepherd’s Bush station on the Overground, in 2015, a new entrance was built to give better access to Westfield. It is not very busy during the day, but I suspect that workers at Westfield use it more than shopper. Wikipedia says it cost £1.35 million, so I should think that the Stratford scheme wouldn’t cost a great deal more.

I believe there are other places, where extra entrances could be built.

Hythe Road station on the West London Line between Stratford and Clapham Junction stations.

Note.

Wikipedia says that both stations should open in 2026, which is the same date as High Speed Two.

Hythe Road station is 700 metres from the High Speed Two station.

Old Oak Common Lane station is 350 metres from the High Speed Two station.

Currently, both lines have a four trains per hour (tph) service.

The Class 378 trains are five cars, which can get very busy in the Peak.

It would need an additional five trains to increase the frequency to five tph on both routes.

Six new five-car Class 710 trains are on order for North and West London Line services.

I feel the higher frequency could be in operation by the opening of High Speed Two.

Most stations between Stratford and Willesden Junction would appear to be able to accept six-car trains, if selective door opening were to be used.

I think by 2026, there will be a more than adequate service between Stratford and High Speed Two.

There will be at least ten tph to Stratford, with services split equally between Hythe Road and Old Oak Common Lane stations.

Richmond and Clapham Junction stations will get at least five tph.

Step-free access is not currently available at Brondesbury Park, Brondesbury, Finchley Road & Frognal, Kentish Town West and Dalston Kingsland stations.

But what other developments will or might happen?

Highbury & Islington Station

Highbury & Islington station is the thirteenth busiest station in the UK and it is in need of a major upgrade to bring the deep level platforms and their access up to the standard of the four London Overground platforms, which all have lifts.

I also think that the track layout at the station could be modified to allow trains on the East London Line to continue further to the West. This was mentioned, when the Oveground was created, but is seldom talked about these days.

Step-Free Access On The North And West London Lines

These two lines which form a Y-shaped railway that splits at Willesden Junction, will provide these services from High Speed Two to major interchange stations.

The only thing that is needed is to complete step free access at all stations on the North and West London Lines.

The Maximum Frequency Across North London

Five tph on both the North and West London Line would give the following turnback frequencies at the four terminals.

Clapham Junction – 5 tph

Richmond – 5 tph

Stratford – 10 tph

This chart from TfL shows planned improvements on the London Overground

Note that it clearly shows that it is possible to run a six tph service between two single platform stations.

I think it likely that it would be possible to run six tph on both routes, provided that the route and the signalling could handle the increased frequency.

Twelve tph between Stratford and Willesden Junction stations would probably be the maximum frequency.

But would the number of freight trains allow this frequency?

A Reduction In Freight Services

Currently, the North London Line carries a lot of freight trains, going between Barking, Felixstowe and London Gateway in the East to virtually everywhere West of London.

Noises from the East West Rail Consortium are hinting that services to and to and from Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, South Wales, Southampton and the West Midlands might use their new route between Oxford and Cambridge.

Could more freight use ports like Liverpool and Teesport in the North of England, which would reduce the traffic through the ports in the South?

Whatever happens, the current succession of diesel-hauled freight trains across London is not environmentally-friendly and it will raise increasing numbers of protests.

I think it is inevitable that the number of freight services will reduce, thus allowing more paths for passenger trains.

Digital Signalling

To handle the increasing traffic on the North and West London Lines, I can see digital signalling being installed. There could even be a degree of Automic Train Control.

Six-Car Trains

Only a few stations can handle six-car trains without selective door opening and even the rebuilt West Hampstead station still has platforms for five-cars.

Selective door opening would allow six-car trains to use the five-car platforms and passengers have in London have shown they can cope with moving forward to get out at certain stations. Especially, as the walk-through design of the train, makes this a lot easier.

A Round-The-Corner Service

I can remember reading in Modern Railways, that one of the reasons for the East and North London Lines running parallel through Canonbury to Highbury & Islington was to possibly enable extension of the East London Line to perhaps Willesden Junction, where there is a handy bay platform.

This has not happened and I doubt we’ll ever see something like a New Cross to Willesden Junction service, as Crossrail will effectively provide a faster frequent service between Whitechapel and Old Oak Common stations.

About This Blog

What this blog will eventually be about I do not know.

But it will be about how I’m coping with the loss of my wife and son to cancer in recent years and how I manage with being a coeliac and recovering from a stroke. It will be about travel, sport, engineering, food, art, computers, large projects and London, that are some of the passions that fill my life.

And hopefully, it will get rid of the lonely times, from which I still suffer.